Seymour Duncan Woody Hum-Cancelling Soundhole Pickup Review

Used mainly to resist feedback, the Woody HC Soundhole Pickup is a great noiseless magnetic tool used to enhance all types of acoustic sounds through single-coil compression. It can instantly mound to any soundhole – no modifications of any sort needed.

Woody Hum-Cancelling Pickup Details & Specs

Stack technology for full-body acoustic tones

Fits 3.85” to 4.1” soundholes; magnetic transducer

Available in either maple, black, or walnut colors

Includes a 14-ft. low capacitance, studio-quality cable that will plug directly into any amp, console, PA, or direct box

Retailed at $59; 8.8 ounces

Double potted to effectively resist all sorts of electronic feedback, the Woody HC is a fun, compact gadget that you can use for acoustic playing. It doesn’t work for nylon-stringed instruments; instead, it’s designed to assist single coils – compressing them for the more familiar warmer tones of acoustics.

According to other reviews we’ve come across, the Woody HC can perfectly bring out the more balanced, natural sounds of electric pickups. We tried using chorusing, reverb, delay, and compression effects and they were right – we were delighted to discover there were absolutely no buzzes or hums.

Appearance-wise, however, it isn’t totally perfect, but we’re not complaining about how easy it can slide into any soundhole. The foam pads are enough to let you move the HC closer or further away from either bass strings or treble strings. This may sound like a little unimportant detail, but it definitely makes a difference – simple, yet effective.

Word of caution, however: the foam pads may be made of good quality, making it more convenient for you to position it however you want, but it’s stacked. This means they’re ¼-inch thicker than, let’s say, the Pro Mag. It will take you some time to position the HC in the soundhole the right way. Practice makes perfect.

For our expectations, the Woody HC did best with an equalizer and preamp. It looks sturdier as well and more natural with most pickups.

Is it for you?

Before you settle in on any unit, you must know what you want and know what you need to know for passive pickups. It may not be totally safe to say that the Woody HC is the best option out there, but for us it’s already more than enough.